Boundaries
by Darcy Jones Shopaholic
Summary: Angel sacrifices himself for Buffy in the End of Days, But the Oracles don't kill him, just send his soul somewhere for safekeeping. Buffy is sent on a mission to bring him home. (I promise you this is soooo fluffy at the end! I hate sad endings so i neve


Boundaries  
  
Rating * Ummmmm I think I'll try PG14 or something like that Disclaimer* Please do you think that if the characters belonged to me I'd actually split them up and send them spiralling into a black hole of depression, Get real they belong to the evil Joss Whedon yada yada yada. Ooooh apart from one major character at the end called Jenna who I totally own. Spoilers* None really maybe for the end of season 5 this is my little 'Buffyverse' Summary This is gonna be one hell of a long story, Basically Angels dead and Buffy has a prophetic dream about a Boundary stone that can bring Angel back, She meets with a young English Girl called Jenna who is like a mini version of Cordelia but has heard the stories about Buffy and Angel and is determined to help.; Sad at the start but happy and fluffy at the end do bear with me. Timeline set 2003 Feedback - Crave it more then Angel in leather pants! Mmm Angel... Ooooh yeah, one of the songs is taken from a play called 'Boundaries' and the story is really similar to that of Buffy and Angels, Also other songs include 'Emotions' by Destiny's Child 'Brown Eyes' By Destiny's Child and 'Sweet Fantasy' By the surgically enhanced Mariah Carey!¬ Distribution- In the words of Faith Want, Take Have, just tell me first so I know where to visit my little creation. Okay?  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Buffy tossed and turned, outside the wind was howling and it seemed as if all the monsters in Sunnydale had gathered outside of her window intent on waking her up form her Beautiful dream..  
  
*Angel and Buffy were entwined in a sweet rhythmic song, the notes wrapping around them whilst the two star-crossed lovers held each other tight, Buffy's head rested on his chest and Angel's head lay on top of Buffy's and he smiled as he inhaled the poignant scent of cherries in her hair, Buffy's baby blue ball gown spun with her as she spun and twirled to the haunting melody. Then the song faded as did the scene, Angel vanished into a cloud of smoke and suddenly she was sitting on her own again, this time dressed in a long white gown, hair hanging in loose curls embroiled with red flowers, She found herself in a forest clearing and suddenly she heard a song in the distance *My love I said I'll meet you By the Boundary stone today Where we will sit and take the air and shoot the breeze without A care And everyone will envy us in Days to come*  
  
They filled her ears every single one of her senses told her to run but she was transfixed by the tragic voice that carried high over the gentle breeze.  
  
*I will love you long gone long I will hold you once ere long I will kiss you bold and strong Wont you love me long gone long?*  
  
Just outside of the forest was a young women dressed identically to Buffy, she was scattering white petals in a circle around a large grey stone, Then she looked up at Buffy and started singing again  
  
*When the moon comes down and eclipses all in sight, My heart still shines on for you What a star crossed and poignant sight One of Dark and one of light Will fight Destiny till all is right So when the sun comes and can shine on your face Ill be here waiting in my dismal little place This rock is where we shall next meet In Victory, not defeat Though shanshu I'll not, My soul's intact And is my redemption For a life long corruption * And with that all went black...  
  
Buffy's eyes flashed open and flickered side to side, This wasn't a normal Angel fantasy this was a prophetic dream and a good one at that. Buffy felt a stray tear roll down her face, she knew Angel was dead, He had died to save her from the Mohra demon army., as the oracles had prophesied more had come and the fight had been long and brutal, Anya and Tara had been tragically killed ad for a moment so was Buffy, but Angel knelt by her battered body and  
  
Flashback 2003  
  
The axe was bought down with such force, it clanged on her bone, an excruciating pain convulsed her whole body, She held her hands to her stomach "What a way to go!" she smiled bitterly, her vision blurred and hazy, she could still sense the presence knelt by her side "Buffy, hang on, This isn't your time not here, not this night" The voice was silky smooth like honey. Buffy tried to reach out and touch him "Angel?" "I'm right here Buffy, your gonna be fine" "What's happening?" "Buffy I.." "You what?" "I'm.. Buffy I love you no matter what, just remember that and we'll meet again one day" "Angel no tell me what's goin on?" and with that everything went black. The small town of Sunnydale was in turmoil, fire flicked through the ravaged streets like a hungry dragon lapping up every life, memory and home. Angel cradled Buffy's body sobbing loudly "Niche yada comerdre ralouta" and in a flash of light, a couple of figures dressed in what Cordelia would've described as 'bed sheets' appeared by his side "Warrior , what have you summoned us for?" Angel looked up bemused "I ask you to take my life in place of this women's" The male oracle laughed bitterly "Thus warrior we cannot do that you are to valuable to our cause" Angel pleaded "You've done it once please do it again" The male oracle was about to speak, but the w omen clapped her hand over his mouth and said "Don't listen to him he's in a mood because some lower being bought him a fake Rolex, anyway you are a noble man, Angel I shall not take your life but I shall place it somewhere safe until the time is right and Buffy shall find you, not as a human but with your soul as your own to do as you please, Buffy will be restored to full health and she shall be given a trail and if her love for you is strong enough that trail will lead back to you" With that she kissed him on the forehead and he was gone...  
  
Back to the present 2004  
  
A tear flowed freely down Buffy's cheek, she knew he had given up his life for her because he had loved her till the very death and beyond, she knew she loved him equally.. Jumping out of bed she grabbed her phone and dialled the number she knew off by heart whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on "Hello" "Hi Wills "Ooooh Buffy, how are you doing, I've just found this great new spell and.." Her voice trailed off, Buffy was crying in the background "Buffy what's wrong?" On the other end of the line Buffy sniffed and wiped away a tear "I had a dream last night." Willow took a deep breath and was clearly shaken "Um Buffy but you and dreams equal major wiggage" Buffy softened a little "Chill Will this wasn't the usual doom and gloom post apocalyptic gig, this was something entirely different" "Angel" They both said at the same time "What happened?" "Well first it was kinda hazy and me and Angel were just dancing to some music when all of a sudden it was like I was at the Imax, I was in a forest dressed in some weird ensemble, when I heard a women singing this haunting song. Buffy filled Willow in with the details of the dream "That's a weird one all right, maybe you should tell Giles..?" "Yeah I mean he his book and info guy, okay Wills I'll see you in class and tell you what he said" "Okay Bye Buffy" "Bye" Buffy stretched out and ran to get dressed.  
  
Somewhere in a forest deep in the hills of Romania a group of gypsies gathered in a circle chanting around a huge grey stone, scattering crosses and holy water trying to consecrate the ground. A old man with thick grey hair and eyes as black as coals spoke up "This stone contains the soul of Angelus" An elder women spoke "I see a small blonde American girl coming to find Angelus, he was her lover and they split because of the curse, but the Powers have declared that as soon as she finds him, his curse will be no more, and all of the suffering that we have well, suffered will go un revenged" "Destroy the stone!" cried one "Kill the slayer!" cried another "Alas both are impossible to do, the stone was made as strong as Angel's love for Buffy and if anything stands in the way of Buffy and her Angel she is sure to demolish it." The Gypsy looked on with wise eyes "Her love for him is strong, but we can defeat it lets summon, The First Evil, it can haunt the slayer the same way it haunted Angelus" The elder women nodded in approvement and it was done.  
  
Back in Sunnydale 2004  
  
Giles was indulging in the stereotypical English favourite a nice cup of Earl Grey tea, when 3 hard knocks came on the door making the tea jump from the cup to his shirt "Blast," he dusted himself off and went to answer the door "Wakie wakie Giles" "Buffy Hello, come in" Another voice was heard form the couch "Ere Slayer close that bleedin' door I'm really not in the mood to be burnt into a bloody crisp" "Well that's a pity it really would be quite entertaining to see you fry and then maybe we could actually get some peace around here" Buffy threw back "Buffy not that I'm not pleased to see you but shouldn't you have class?" she smiled "Oops my bad, I had a dream last night." "Did it involve Angel in leather pants?" Piped up Spike Buffy hid her pain "No actually it was me in leather pants torturing you slowly and painfully" "Kinky" Spike drawled Buffy rolled her eyes and Giles motioned to the kitchen "Get me a pint of blood while your out there mate" Giles ignored him They walked slowly to the kitchen "Buffy what did you dream about?" Buffy filled him in on the dream "... And then I woke up" Giles pulled of his glasses and held his head in thought "I must say it is quite interesting and I have heard a legend about a boundary stone where ones soul may be housed temporarily till freed" "and how do you free it?" Giles rubbed his nose, Buffy looked up "Research?" Giles nodded "I'll call the gang"  
  
Since that great battle with the Mohra demon army, the whole gang had changed in ways that they could never imagine Willow had dealt quite well with the death of Tara and often said she felt a connection with her, she had thrown herself more into her witchcraft desperate to find a way to bring her back. Xander Harris had taken up tai kwan doe so he would no longer be "Snack guy" He still had his quick wit about him but his words were usually meant with a mean intent. Cordelia had become a famous actress and regularly kept in close contact with Buffy, and Spike would always be Spike but sometimes he felt sadness for his Grandsire. Then there was Buffy, she had to be strong and keep fighting, but inside she was hollow, she masked the pain well but it hurt more and more every day.  
  
"Xander" "Yep the one and only" "Can you come around to Giles's?" "Research party?" "Yep" "Am I snacks guy" "Yep, Ooooh can you get some jelly doughnuts with the little sugar sprinkles?" "At your service my lady of Buffdum" "See ya in 5" "Bye" Buffy put the phone down, after all they had been through they still stuck together and tried to have a relatively normal life, but in Sunnydale, anything is everything but normal..  
  
Romania 2004  
  
The Gipsies were gathered in a circle chanting and sprinkling sweet smelling herbs, the elder women sat in the centre of the circle eyes closed in concentration. She waved a stick of incense before completing the spell.  
  
*Evils of the world I call The First and deadliest of all Go to the Slayer Who does good Go to her as her enemy As her primal fear The one called Angelus Who brings her a tear*  
  
A slow spiral of green smoke drifted from the ground to the sky, and a spine chilling laugh echoed in the night sky..  
  
"Ah here it is Buffy" Giles looked up from his thick green book but found Buffy and all the Scooby gang fast asleep, he smiled to himself, they had been through so much and had come so far, they were his surrogate family the 'research party' had lasted till 3am and they were all sprawled out on Giles's chairs, Buffy's hair spread out behind her like a halo and she dreamed of Angel.  
  
*Have you ever loved and lost somebody Never had a chance to say I'm sorry*  
  
Flash back 2002  
  
Buffy could feel him coming, the hairs on the back of her neck tingled in anticipation at his presence, she could feel his smouldering gaze on the back of her neck, Dressed in his trademark billowing black coat and jeans his hair in his usual spiky style and a gorgeous half smile that sent Buffy weak at the knees. Standing behind her was the man she loved for 3 years of her life with all her heart who had dumped her at her prom and her current lover the annoying Fish boy Riley Finn who loved his cow Bessie more then Buffy and had to take Viagra just to keep up with the powerful slayer and to tell the truth he was a bit on the 'small'' side. If she ever had a chance with Angel it was now, But she was mad with him, he had abandoned her on what should've been the happiest night of her life, she made her choice and crossed the room to her current lover, Buffy took one look at Angel then Kissed Riley long and hard...  
  
Buffy awoke sobbing softly to herself, Giles flew to her aid and hugged her running his hands through her silky hair "Ssssh its okay, I've found some information on Angel and it seems that to find him all we have to do is go back to his roots" Buffy looked up "Galway, Ireland" Giles nodded, Buffy grabbed her coat and ran out of the door.  
  
Chapter 2 The Road less travelled  
  
By the time Buffy had arrived in Ireland, it was bucketing down with rain , she was tired and soaked and had been subjected to the horrors of a Chevy Chase movie. "So much for the Emerald Isle" she said as she looked around at the grey and dreary landscape. She finally grabbed her bags after a long wait and was whisked off to her hotel courtesy of the Watchers Council whom despite her hate for them she had helped out a couple of times. It was a small Irish stone castle just on the outskirts of Galway, above the wooden door there was the surname Quinn and a date 1754 set into the brick work, Buffy felt a pang Wow this was built when Angel was alive, and where had she heard that surname before.. Probably some daft T/V show about Leprechauns, she dismissed the thought and set about the long and boring business of checking in... Her room had its own balcony and a gorgeous four poster bed and a writing bureau and a Queen Anne wardrobe, exhausted she collapsed onto the bed and fell straight asleep.  
  
*Buffy was standing in the graveyard under the full moon, she was waiting for something. A tingle ran up her spine and there she saw him doubled over in agony, "Angel?" she questioned voice full of concern "Who did this to you?" He looked up with a sneer "Why you did lover, when you selfishly forced me into making love with you causing me to lose my soul, when you kicked me in the mall, when you stabbed me through the stomach and sent me to hell, when you chained me up and told me you had moved on, When you made me leave you because I couldn't stand to look at you a moment longer, after I came to protect you, you told me to stay away , when I was trying to help Faith and you were playing with your little boy toy you got jealous and rubbed it in my face and finally forcing me to die for you" Buffy's face crumpled "Gee that's a pretty long list" "Yeah Buffy every moment of pain I have felt is when I'm was with you" sneered Angel Buffy looked at him through her haze of tears "Angel I'm so sorry, I love you please say those 3 words to me" "You want three words, I'll give you three words, I. Hate. You" Then he disappeared leaving Buffy alone crying in the darkness.  
  
Back in Ireland Buffy whimpered and cried out in her sleep "Angel, I'm sorry! Angel I'm so sorry!" A green smoke seeped from Buffy's nostrils smiling maliciously, its job was done.  
  
The next morning Buffy bolted upright, she couldn't do this, what if she found him and he walked away from her again, what if he hated her what if? Her mind was consumed with anxiety and confusion *It shouldn't be like this, I should be the one dead not Angel. She rang Giles first thing "Giles, I had mega freaky dream yesterday" she could almost imagine Giles rubbing his nose on the other end of the line and Spike shouting out to bring him back some Lucky Charms. "Okay Buffy I daresay it but can you elaborate?" "It was Angel again, but he was mad with me telling me he hated me, I feel so lost Giles I don't know what to do" "Buffy you know that he loved you, he even died for you, I'm sorry but if you can doubt his love maybe your looking in the wrong place" "In all honesty Giles I think I am" With that she hung the phone up and ran downstairs to check out some old references to see if she could find out anything about Angel's life as Liam. The books were old and musty and smelt of damp "Giles would feel right at home" she spoke to nobody but herself, With her she had a list of books that she might find interesting, "A Quinn Family History how exciting" she said sarcastically Blowing the dust off the cover, she opened to a page full of spidery hand writing and a family tree, scanning down carefully she saw a name that rang bells Quinn, Angel, Liam born 1730 died 1756. Buffy felt a tear slip from her eye marring the brown and curled page The paragraph read like this 'Liam was born to Charles Quinn and Mary Sawyer on 14th April 1730, his sister Kathy followed shortly after, as a child he excelled in school and made his father proud, but as a 15 year old apprentice he found a sinful taste for women and bad drink thus giving the family a bad name, he was engaged to the love of his life at 20 but she took a nasty case of the scarlet fever and died soon after, he was never the same again, now he would even steal from his own family, at 26 he was found dead after a night of drink and his whole family were wiped out apart from a few cousins who survived to be the ancestors of the remaining Quinn family today'  
  
Buffy traced the outline of his sketched picture, he still had his trademark half smile, hair was longer and hung loosely around his face, his features were still there from the prominent cheek bones to the tip of his perfect nose. She was about to put the book down when she heard a shrill voice speak out from behind her "He was a monster, he killed them all" Standing behind her was an old lady who had long curly hair and wore a long brown dress with eyes as brown as chocolate. "Excuse em but who are you?" "A descendant, and you are the slayer" Buffy whirled around "How do you know?" "You loved him" she continued "You loved him and he loved you, so he died for you and now your off on a quest to find him" Buffy's eyes were wide open in astonishment "I knew because the Powers told me, If you can find one of Angel's roots you shall be given a clue were to go next, once you have completed the puzzle, you will find him" "Okay, whatever so what did I win" The old lady smiled "You win a trip to the fabulous London, airfare and accommodation included" "Wow a relative of Angels' that actually has a sense of humour she appraised in relativity to Angels known brooding. "So I'm London bound" "Before she could thank the old women she had vanished.  
  
Chapter 3 The adventures of Angel and Dru.. And a charming girl called Jenna.  
  
The view from her hotel room was panoramic, she could see all the sights of London.. And all the shops, Buffy suddenly wished Cordelia was here to show her all the great shopping spots. "So this is were Spike used to live". Buffy ran down to the lobby to get a drink, meanwhile in the lobby sat a small 17 year old girl dressed in a baby blue dress with a baby blue scarf around her neck, she had long brown hair that went past her shoulders, she was impeccably dressed, a mini version of Cordelia Buffy thought. The girl seemed to be staring at Buffy, Buffy smiled at her but the girl just carried on staring a thoughtful look on her face, Buffy was freaked Does she know anything about Angel? The girl picked up her bag and sauntered over to Buffy The girl offered her hand "Hi I'm Jenna" Buffy took her hand "I'm." "Buffy, I already know, I could recognise you from your picture" Jenna finished for her Buffy looked confused "Excuse me?" "Oh my dads a Council member, I've been sent to help you with Angel." the girl looked at her again "and obviously your clothes" Buffy narrowed her eyes "No offence Jenna aren't you like a little young to know about stuff like this" "Please, I've been keeping tabs on you 2 ever since I was 10, I know everything about you and Angel" She laughed "Whatever" "I am so coming!" "So Jenna, where do we start?" "Well I thought this is where Angelus had some little adventures with Drusilla, in fact one time they." Buffy put her hand up to stop her "I really don't wanna know" "Spoil sport" Buffy glared at her and Jenna just raised an imperious brow "Okay the first place we should visit is the spot where Angel first saw Drusilla" "Show the way" Jenna led Buffy to the ruins of a large church "Okay in there, you go first" Buffy climbed over a pile of old rocks, it took her a good 10 minutes to get over, once over Jenna was already there, leaning against a rock filing her nails "How did you get over so fast?" Jenna smiled "Well some of us like to use a thing called an entrance" Buffy rolled her eyes, Jenna led her over to where there was what looked like an old confession box. "This is where Angel first saw Dru"  
  
London April 1860  
  
Angelus was in the middle of ripping out the throat of a Catholic blood enjoying every last drop as the mans fear enhanced the flavour, "Aaahhhhh I feel closer to God already" He drawled his lips spreading into a malicious grin he dropped the body when he heard hurried footsteps approaching the booth.  
"He was such a wanker!" Jenna gabbled excitedly, "Anyway if you want the next clue, your gonna have to hear what I'm about to tell you, its vital" Buffy knew she was not gonna want to hear this "Okay just make it quick" Jenna took a deep breath "Right, after he turned Drusilla he still hadn't met up with Darla, so Drusilla became his lover, play toy if you will, so they went around causing death and destruction, yada yada yada, Drusilla would hypnotise people with her visions and Angelus would torture them slowly, What a darling" She said sarcastically. Buffy's face fell "You mean they were involved?" "Yeah for about 10 years until Darla came back, then Drusilla became more of a pain, so Angel let her have a play mate a young man called William the Bloody, nicknamed so because of his bloody awful poetry" Buffy laughed in spite of herself "And so Dru and Angelus's escapades came to a dramatic end" "Wow, ok now that I listened to that lovely little speech, please can I have the clue now?" "well, I don't know if I should tell you" Buffy's eyes flashed with anger, she whirled around on Jenna and pinned her up against the wall "Don't mess me around, if you don't tell me I will pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat!" Jenna was sacred but she hid it well "I hear bones are all the rage in Romania" Buffy banged her up against the wall again "This is your last warning, tell em before I really get serious" "Gee that wasn't serious?" "That's it" Buffy made a move to punch her face in "I just told you, you obviously don't love him enough if you don't know what happened after Drusilla got Spike, I'm disappointed I thought you were soul mates, obviously your not" The words stung Buffy and Jenna used this moment of distraction to shrug out of Buffy's tight grasp and run off. Buffy collapsed into a heap on the floor and started crying, soon she drifted off to sleep  
  
Buffy was standing over Angel, he was sleeping peacefully on a four poster bed in an old castle, his chest was rising and falling yet as Buffy leant over to kiss him on his soft lips, he did not even stir, she tried again not a flicker of his eyes or his lips calling out her name, All of a sudden a women dressed in a long red dress that belonged way back in the eighteenth century pushed Buffy out of the way and then kissed Angel chastely on the lips, his eyes flickered open and he called out the women's name "Rebecca" Buffy's eyes were open in horror, Angel sat up in bed with 'Rebecca' on his lap and grinned "Only true loves kiss could wake me up, and hey Buff you obviously didn't love me enough" Then he threw back his head and laughed "Don't even bother to come and get me Buffy, I wont wake up, I hate you, I loved you and you never loved me back and now I hate you, it should be you laying in the ground instead of me, Go back to Sunnydale and get on with your miserable little life" Buffy's tiny body was wracked with sobs "No Angel don't go I will find you, I will" Angel stared at her "If you do I will kill you"  
  
Buffy bolted up awake her body was convulsing with different emotions "I cant do this!" she screamed to herself, she ran to the wardrobe and began randomly packing her clothes, when out of the corner of her eye she saw something, her heart did butterflies and her stomach was turning over in anticipation  
  
"Angel?" he stepped out of the shadows, he wore a his long black coat, a red silk shirt and expensive looking black trousers, there was a far off look in his eyes like he really didn't know what was going on, without waiting a moment more for her head to process the thoughts, she launched at him, faster then a missile and ran into his arms and lay her head on his chest, Angel smiled down at her, "The one and only" Buffy looked up at him, tears collecting in her green eyes "How?? Why, oh god Angel I missed you so much!" Ignoring her question he roughly shook her off him and walked around to the bed trailing a finger over the sheets, he smirked when he saw her half packed bag "Going somewhere?" "No, oh Angel I cant believe you're here" Buffy went to kiss him, he dodged "I'm not here I keep telling you, I cant believe your running away again, you can never face up to your mistakes, your weak Buffy I don't know how I could have ever loved you!" Buffy bit her lip and tears caressed her beautiful face "Angel, this isn't you!" "I know its not, just thought Id warn you in person, I hate you , when you find me I will kill you!" They were both disturbed by a voice at the door "Oh please like go find a stake and fall on it!" Jenna was at the door, she held up a cross and in her other hand was a sword, long and silver, its blade glinted dangerously in the moon light, they both looked at her confused "Jenna go now, I cant let you get hurt" Jenna rolled her eyes "Buffy that Is not Angel, I don't know what it is, but I know enough about you two to know that Angel would never ever do that to you!" Buffy threw up her hands "Will I ever get any peace, do the heavens say I can never have one moment of happiness, I hate you all!" she fell in a heap sobbing on the floor, Jenna walked over to her and lay a hand on her back "Look into his eyes and tell me what you see" Buffy stood up, 'it' looked like Angel, talked like Angel and even smelt like Angel, but there was something vacant in his eyes, something missing.. Then Buffy's instinct kicked in "Your not Angel!" The thing looked on at her seemingly confused "Of course I am!" "No , I know *My* Angel, Before I was blinded by love and tears but now I see your not him" The thing laughed menacingly "You'd like to believe that wouldn't you, make what you did to him seem right" the thing was about to say something else when like a bat out of hell, Buffy landed a round house kick right on the creatures head knocking him flat on his face. Jenna tossed Buffy the sword and Buffy stood over the 'First Evils' mirror image of Angel "First rule of pretending to be some one else, never refer to them in the third person, nighty night!" Then with a heave of her sword she decapitated the monster and its body turned into green smoke with a mulish shriek that chilled the moon to its bones. Buffy collapsed onto the floor, out of breath, there were still tears in her eyes and she looked up to see Jenna standing by her "Will I ever find him?" "I don't know, I'm only a messenger, it all depends on what your heart truly desires, if you want to find him then yes you will, in your quest fro him you will find many obstacles some may be deadly others may be as simple as English" "I've always had problems with English" Jenna smiled "You know what I mean, you will find him, I'm counting on you, I need something to keep me occupied on those long English winter nights" Buffy laughed gently "You know what I think you would make a great watcher!" Jenna's mouth twisted into a scowl and she crossed her arms and raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow "I so don't think so, I have no idea where all that advice came from, I think it was like residual Never Been Kissed or something" Buffy grinned slightly "Will I ever see you again?" "I somehow think you will, try tomorrow at 10 in the lobby, we have two star crossed lovers to reunite" without waiting for Buffy to day anything Jenna waved and walked out of the door leaving Buffy to ponder what was to come.. That night while Buffy slept peacefully for the first time in months...  
  
//I called you today, just to hear you say you were not around/  
  
When the message was through, though I just wanted to I couldn't make a sound I wanna tell you all the things I've seen I wanna take you to where I've been And I wish you were here with me//  
  
Buffy was walking along the beach, letting the summer breeze wash over her like a tidal wave, she sensed someone behind her, she didn't turn around "I Miss you" "I miss you to" Then a pair of strong arms enfolded her from behind, "I will find you, Angel I really will" The voice was strong and sweet "I know you will, and when you do we'll be so happy" Buffy smiled and closed her eyes "I wanna show you my world, I wanna show you all I see, I don't want that Vampire/slayer thing to be an issue anymore, its time we blazed a new trail" "Buffy, it'll always be an issue, I might look like a man but I'm not one" Buffy turned around and met his chocolate brown eyes  
  
//I'm writing to say- I had a wonderful day Hangin' with my friends But the memory dies as the sun reaches the skies, I'm alone again I wanna tell you the weather is fine When the night comes around you were on my mind And I wish you were here with me Don't you know  
  
I really miss you Yes I do Oh I really miss you Ohhhh yeah I do I really miss you Ohhhh yeah I do//  
  
As she looked into his eyes, she was shocked by what she saw reflected back at her, happiness and pain free, they seemed to sparkle like stars, they were still intense but no longer dull and mysterious, of course she saw loneliness and longing but that was ok as that would soon be gone, she put a finger to his lips "No your right, your not a man, no man could ever compare to you, I want my life to be with you, promise to never leave me" He looked down at her tears in his eyes "I cant promise Buffy, all I want is for you to have a normal life, we could never have that, cant you see that!" "I can see that but why the self sacrificing thing all the time, this act is getting soooo old, we can be happy and when I'm with you my life is normal, I love you forever!" "I'll love you beyond forever" Angel's gaze had her transfixed and before she knew it they were engrossed in a earth shattering kiss filled with every emotion Buffy could muster, and then there was darkness...  
  
Buffy's eyes flickered open, she swore that she could still feel the hot sand between her toes and she could still smell him, his touch had sent electric pulses all over Buffy's body, today was the first day she had actually felt alive, she jumped out of bed and into the shower.. 15 minutes later she heard a knock on the door, Buffy cautiously went to open it.. "Hia!" squeaked a high pitched British Voice Buffy jumped "Word of advice vampires don't knock" Buffy smiled grimly, "You have to be prepared for anything" "Man you can say that again!" "So not that I'm not pleased to see ya but why are you here?" "Oh right that! Well I figured today is gonna be a pretty big occasion so I've come to help you get ready!" "What's a really big occasion?" Jenna grinned from ear to ear "You'll see" then she clapped her hands and two men came in carrying a large bag, Jenna blindfolded Buffy and got the dress out of the bag "This is what you will be wearing!" Jenna whipped the blindfold off and Buffy stood in awe before her stood the most beautiful ball gown, it was off the shoulders , all in white with a skirt that fanned out like a princess' it was embroidered with intricate blue roses. Then Buffy snapped back to reality "Isn't that dress ya know a little over kill?" "Nope its just enough kill!" Jenna left the room for Buffy to dress and this is what she looked like, The dress fitted her perfectly it was flatteringly low cut and her hair was up in curls, she wore a blue cross with it and dainty high heels, when she walked down into the lobby, everyone looked t her in amazement, the guys went crazy over her and wives went crazy with their husbands for looking at her, she saw self conscious as to why everyone was staring at her.. Jenna met her in the lobby and Buffy stood agape as everyone in the room was wearing some sort of strange apparel, one guy looked like he had underpants on his head! Buffy had to try and stifle a snigger, she walked up to Jenna "So what's this, a costume party?" "Hah with the sarcasm, no we have to do this ritual and the costumes are part of it" "What are we doing, planning to resurrect Coco the Clown" "Well we might as well as be but no, I cant tell you otherwise the ritual won't work" "Ok whatever just one more question, How come we have to dress up like freaks and you look well normal" Jenna offered a sarcastic smile "Well perhaps because I'm the only none freak here?" she said looking down at her own strapless yellow dress, * Man Cordelia would love her * Buffy thought "Come on guys, lets roll!" They all piled into a black limo with no license plate... It was a fairly long ride and when they arrived at the place it was dark, the only light was the moon which barely shone through the thick forest trees where the branches entwined like two lovers holding hands, they were in the middle of a secluded spot some way a way from anything remotely modern "Wonder if they get MTV out here?" Buffy said to no one but herself There was a large bonfire blazing in the middle of a circle of stones the 3 men and 3 women who had been in the limo moved to form the points of the pentagram with the 6th one standing in the middle, each one held a purple candle with a red ribbon tied around it, Buffy was pushed to stand by the old man in the centre "Um what's going on?" The man turned to look at her with wizened eyes, "My Child, hold this candle, picture a large stone and picture a pin prick of light shining onto it, can you manage that?" Buffy nodded "But I'm still not clear on why" The man ignored her and carried on chanting in a strange language that Buffy later learnt was French  
  
'Angel est la une sans adore' Angel is the one she loves La Angel envoyer au dessus The Angel sent from above A' adore et tenir To love and hold Forever!  
  
Then with a flourish the candles went out  
  
Meanwhile with Buffy.  
  
Her eyes were completely focused on the soft glow that the candle flame emitted, she could imagine the large rock surrounded by light, she stopped herself from asking why, knowing that to would be obviously important otherwise they wouldn't ask her to do it, after she had concentrated for a good five minutes the man gently tapped her out of her trance, coming back to reality she looked on clearly perplexed when the man started drawing strange symbols in the mud with a long curved stick, the man called the 5 others over into a huddle where they were talking in a strange language that only Giles would probably only understand "Man where is Giles when ya need him!" They called Jenna over as she gabbled excitedly with them, "Um hello guys you know just tell me like next year or something!" Jenna walked slowly over grinning from ear to ear "Buffy! I have the best ever news!" "Well I'm listening!" Jenna motioned to the log "Lets sit down" They both sat down on the log "Okay please now can you tell me, I really don't want to have to beat it out of you again!" Jenna raised an imperious eye brow "You called that a beating?" seeing the look on the slayers face was enough to know not to mess around with an angry slayer "Its about Angel.." Buffy was on the edge of her seat, tears threatening to spill over with unwelcome anticipation of bad news "He's alive in that boundary stone... And it looks like we wont have to go to Romania either.. But theirs a catch. To get him back with an unconditional soul you must first prove to the council that you truly love him because the magic's we are about to use are highly potent and can kill if not used properly. Oh yeah then you have to battle a really horrible demon without your powers" Buffy's head looked like it was about to explode, she got up and started pacing "I hate the council! I HATE THEM! I'm THE SLAYER AND NEVER WILL THEY LEAVE ME ALONE! ALL I WANT IS ANGEL! All I want is Angel." He voice got softer and trailed off as Jenna put a comforting arm around her.. "Buffy I know the love you feel for Angel will be enough to free him, but if you do not defeat this demon then I'm afraid we can never free Angel, as we need the demons essence for the spell" Buffy fell crying again "But with out my strength I could never do it" "Buffy you can, your love for him will give you all the strength you need, now do you wanna fight first or see the council" Buffy held her head up "Take me to the council" Jenna clapped her hands and a council of men appeared each one older then the first. The oldest one looked down at Jenna and the slayer "Miss Scott and Miss Summers" the council acknowledged Jenna stepped forward "I bring Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the test to free Angel" The man nodded , his grey beard almost swept the floor and his old blue eyes twinkled as he beckoned to Buffy to walk to him she did so, finding herself lost in his eyes , he put a warm hand over her forehead and closed his eyes "Ah Miss Summers, I know what you feel about the council, but we are not here to be cruel or mock, just to see if your love for Angel is worth risking the lives of all those present" Buffy remained quiet but then all of a sudden started screaming violently as a barrage of memories and emotions came pouring out in a frenzied rush * Angel giving her the cross, her leather jacket, saving her from the 3, kissing him for the first time, finding out he was a vamp, kicking his ass, kissing him when she found out he was good, dancing tenderly with him at the Spring Fling, being a bitch when she came back from L.A, her asking him on a coffee date, dressing to impress him at Halloween, ice skating with him, him giving her beloved claddagh ring, losing herself to him, kicking his ass some more, seeing him when he had his soul back, telling him to close his eyes and kissing him before sending him to hell, when he came back, that night in the graveyard before her prom, falling asleep in his arms, their 'sewer' talk, there last dance, him walking away through the smoke, the pain and agony of him not being there, The day when Angel was human, when he had come to Sunnydale and begged her for forgiveness instead she waltzed straight into Riley's arms, and finally the most painful memory of all, Angel sacrificing himself for his love Buffy'  
  
Then in a brilliant flash of white light Buffy found herself standing in the middle of a mass area of destruction and devastation, fire engines surrounded the place and smoke covered the whole area with its tangible scent, Buffy knew this scene and a song she had heard from a group called Pretty in Pink...  
  
Untouchable  
Saw you across in the rain My heart was aching Silent pain I knew what I had to do Wish it wasn't so hard loving you/  
  
Your Untouchable 'Somewhere where I'll never be' Untouchable 'I'm on my knees' Untouchable 'Begging you please come out of the rain and hold me in your arms again' Baby your untouchable cant live life without you,  
  
Sometimes I think I'm in a dream Living out this recurring scene Every time I reach out and touch Your pulled away I hate it so much I know it must be hard To be where we are Temptation hurts I cant help blurt my feelings for a you/  
  
Your Untouchable 'somewhere I'll never be; Untouchable 'I'm on my knees' Untouchable 'Begging you please come out of the rain and hold me in your arms again Baby your untouchable, cant live life without you!  
  
All I get is an engaged line I know your busy all the time But the stars are out I've got a perfect view, A gorgeous night I just wanna spend with you!  
  
Your Untouchable 'Somewhere I'll never be' Untouchable 'I'm on my knees' Untouchable 'Begging you please come out of the rain and hold me in your arms again Baby your untouchable, cant live life without you!  
  
She saw him through the smoke, and he faced her, eyes filled with tears and regret.. But this time instead of walking away from her he ran into her arms and frantically peppered her face with Butterfly kisses, "Buffy, I missed you so much, I was wrong I could never leave you, if you'll have me back" Buffy looked up at him speechless "I love you" He looked down at her and said "I love you to, next time I leave, tie me down until I regain my sanity!" Buffy smiled and Angel enfolded her in a tight hug...  
  
The members of the council were nearly in tears, as was Buffy, the old man looked upon her wit kind eyes "Buffy Summers no matter how strange this paring, there is no doubt that you two are soul mates and as for your years of service to man kind, you shall now have your reward, You have passed the test, now for the demon!" Buffy stood up as a white light radiated through her body, the heat radiated through her like a fever, it made her feel weak and scared as if her whole body had been turned inside out... Jenna tried to run to Buffy and support her, but the old man held her back saying "She will die if you try to help her" He clapped his hands and 2 men ran to Buffy with a quarter staff and sharp sword, then everyone stood well back as they braced themselves for the scene that was about to transpire... Another flash of white light filled the space with a translucent light, that seemed to swirl and spiral until it took the form of a man... Buffy's eyes opened wide when she saw who it was "You want me to kill Angel!! Hello I'm meant to be freeing him!" she spluttered. Buffy dropped her weapon and went to walk slowly towards Angel "No!" Jenna shouted "Its not bloody Angel, Buffy its Angelus!" Angelus eyed Buffy up and down "Well Buff, long time no see ay, well I cant say ya look good, well because hey you never have, and is it me or are you putting on a little weight" Buffy narrowed her eyes at him and picked up her sword "Its definitely you" Angelus smirked as he saw the weapon she sheathed "Well Buffy remember what happened last time we played duels?" "Yeah I kicked your ass!" He eyed the slayer contemptuously "Aren't we feisty today slayer, come on you know you want it" That was the last straw for Buffy, although it wore her lovers face, it was so not him "Angelus ever come up with any new material coz hey this act is.so.not.funny!" she shouted as she banged his head against a log, he pushed her back and swung her against a tree, nearly knocking her out, she got back up "Hey this is a new dress!" she gave him a roundhouse kick to the stomach, making him double over, then with all of her none slayer strength she kicked him in the balls, while he collapsed on the floor in agony, she used this moment to behead him with one swift movement of her sword. Uttering the immortal words she stood over his body and smiled "And that's what I call kickin' your ass!" The Council looked on amazed and shrieks and cheers went around the camp and Buffy ran to hug Jenna "Okay where's Angel!" she said excitedly Jenna put an arm on her shoulder "Well you will have him soon, but first you must go back to Sunnydale and see Cordelia as she has the last bit of the puzzle to give you!" and before Buffy could react , she was engulfed in a red light..  
  
Meanwhile back in Sunnydale  
  
The Scoobies's had been preparing a welcome home party for Buffy and Angel, the whole gang was their, even Spike, Wesley and Cordelia, Cordelia sat on the couch reading her issue of Vogue, circling the things she was gonna buy, Spike was busy watching Passions and Willow and Giles were working on a very special spell as a present to Buffy and Angel, with a little help from the council of course!  
  
Buffy was still in the red light "Now I finally know what Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz felt like!" The Scoobies's stood up to greet her, Xander was the first to greet her "Hey Buffy, bring us any presents" he said as he greeted her with a hug "Yep, of course. Me!" Anya rolled her eyes "I was hoping you'd bring me back some money!" The rest of the gang ignored her and Buffy and the others carried on hugging her.. 5 minutes later Cordelia stood up "Buffy I know we've never really been friends but we've always had one thing in common, Angel, I love him as a brother and well you just love him, so heres the last piece of the spell, I knew it had something to do with it because he kept it on his desk and wouldn't stop staring at it" She handed the box to Buffy and her breath caught in her throat as she saw what it was,. Laying there nestled on blue silk was her Claddagh ring. She gently put the box down and enfolded Cordelia in a huge hug, the brunette returned her hug fiercely but still retained her Cordiness for caring about her hair "Hey Buffy mind the hair!" Buffy just smiled and stepped away "Thank you Cordy, Thank you all of you, I don't know where Id be without you" Willow piped up "Group Hug!" Nobody objected and even Spike joined in "Hey Slayer, is there any chance that when Angel comes back you might keep it down a little it's a extra long episode of Passions tonight and I don't want to miss any of it while you and Angel are up there screwing like rabbits!" Buffy glanced at him and rolled her eyes "Hey whatever Spike, just remember screwing like rabbits is better then not screwing at all" "Piss off slayer, it was you and your bloody groupies that cursed me, just coz I wanted to have a little fun and a little massacre" Buffy ignored him and turned to face the rest of the gang "Ok guys so what happens now?" "Oh yeah right, Angel just stand in that circle and say the magic words" Buffy took in a deep breath, a million emotions were coursing through her, heartache, pain and regret also at the same time happiness but fear to. She closed her eyes and slipped her ring back onto her finger where it belonged she stepped inside the circle and began to chant, whilst a gentle white mist enfolded her and she went into a peaceful slumber. The stars were out spreading across the sky with a Maudlin Grace and in the middle of a large field stood a dance floor with music but no band, Chinese lanterns hung from the trees and candles were laid out randomly around the edge of the floor, Buffy looked down at herself and realised that she was wearing the same dress as she had been at her little ritual with Jen in London, rolling her eyes again she said "Oh great not another dream!" She saw a few other couples on the dance floor, it was the whole Scooby gang Xander and Cordelia were for one not arguing, and swayed silently to the melody as they were united for a time in the grief of the loved ones they'd lost. Spike sat at a table drinking a bottle of whisky. Willow and Giles were discussing magic.. Jenna sat on the edge by Spike reading a fashion magazine, she looked up and gave the slayer a huge smile and grin. Buffy waved half heartedly back. Soon the tension seemed to drop away, leaving a strange feeling of peaceful clarity. Then from the trees emerged a tall man, a half smile spreading across his face. Buffy gasped and ran to hold him in a tight hug. "My God is it really you?" He smiled gently at her and kissed her head "Yeah its really me" "Oh Angel" she collapsed into his arms "Im so sorry for everything I said" Angel looked down at her "Buffy listen to me, Im sorry for leaving you, but the curse is gone, im here, there's nothing left to keep us apart but" Buffy's eyes flashed "What do you mean but?" "Do you still love me?" "More then life itself" No more words were needed and they both leaned in for a passionate kiss. As they continued to kiss, they were surrounded by a pink light and when they broke away, found both of themselves back in Giles's front room, welcomed back to much applause from the Scooby gang "bout bloody time!" muttered Spike from the kitchen Angel gently broke the kiss and smoothed a strand of hair away from Buffy's face "I love you" "I love you to" and soon they were kissing again. A annoyed grunt from Cordelia broke the atmosphere "Ok I like appreciate the fact that you two can get groiny, and do the horizontal but now is so not the time or the place.." within minutes she was in Angel's arms hugging him tightly "Losing you angel was like losing my brother, promise me you'll never do that again!" He kissed Cordy's head lightly "And leaving you was like leaving a very nosy, noisy little sister!" So there were hugs and congratulations all around, then after that died out. Buffy and Angel walked away hand in hand to the sprawling mansion. Where they were greeted by a bed of roses and candles scattered everywhere. Buffy gasped "Did you know about this?" Angel smiled "I might have had something to do with it" Buffy grinned back at him "Wow you've got a sense of humour!" "Well Miss Summers, I believe that we have some unfinished business" he wiggled his eyebrows for the effect "Why Mr O. Connor, what would ever give you an idea like that?" she laughed with him as he swept her up into his strong arms and began to do it all night!!  
  
The End!!  
[pic] 


End file.
